Beet-harvester.



J. A. KING.

BEET HARVEM'EE.

APPLICATION FILED 11211.23, 190a. RENEWED AUG. 2, 1909.

3 BHEETB-SHBET 1.

Patentetl Mam.8,19]l0.

J. A. KING.

FEET HAEVESTEB.

APPLIUATION IILBD APB.23, 190s. 12.2mm]: mm. 2, 1909.

Pamnteal Mal". g, 19W.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Q s Q Q U W UNITED s rnrirs PATENT OFFICE.

:me A. runs, or 'rnnnn nrvnas, MIGEIGAN.

Specification 0! Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 8, 1910.

Application filed April 23, 1908, Serial No. 813,282. Renewed August 2, 1909 Serial No. 510,884..

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES A. K1ne, a citinon of the United States, residing at Three Rivers, county of St. Joseph, State of Michigain, have invented certainnew and usefullmprovements in Beet;Har vesters, of which the followmg 1s a s eclficat on.

This invention re ates to improvements in beet harvesting machines.

The objects of th1s lnvention are, first, to

provide an improved beet harvestin machine which is adaptedto automatical y adjust itself to remove a larger portion from a large beet ora beet which projects from the ground. more than the average to which the machi-iie is adjusted, than it does from the beets to which the machineis adjusted. Second, to rovide an improved beet harshovels or plows B" arranged in pairs,

vesting mac me which may be quickly adjusted to remove more or less of the beet top,

as may be desired. Third, to provide an improved beetharvesting machinewhich'removes the tops without breaking or 'shattering the beets. Fourth, to providean improved beet harvesting machine which is easy to operate and durable in use. a I

' Further objects, and objects relating to structural details will definitely appear from the detailed description to follow.

I accomplish the objects'of my invention by the devices and means described in the following specification.

The invention is clearly defined and pointed out in the claims. Y

A structure embody1ngthe features of v rnyinvention is clearly illustrated in the accompan ing drawing forming a part of this speci cation.

Figure proved beet harvesting machine. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail vertical section taken on a line corresponding to line 3-3'of Fig. 1, looking toward the front of the machine. Fig. 4 1s an en larged detail'vertical section taken on a line corresponding to lined-4 of Fig. 3.- Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the puller removed from the main frame. Fig. 6 is a detail section takenon-a line correspondin to line 6-6 of 1, showing the 'means or securing the'pu ler mechamsm in its elevated or inoperative position. Fig. 7 isa sectional view taken on a line corres onding to the section line 3-3 of Fig. 1, ooking toward the rear of the machine, the shaft E only being sectioned. Fig. 8 is an enlarged de- 1 is a side elevation of my imtail section taken on a linecorresponding to lme 8-8 of 1, showing the means for supporting the earing D'-" for the forward end of the shaft E. t

In the drawings the sectional views are taken looking in the direction of the little arrows at the ends of the section lines, andsimilar letters of reference refer to similar partsthroughout the several views.

lteferring to the drawings, the mam frame A 1s mounted at its rear end on the axle A",

the frame being provided with downwardly projecting arms A which are connected to the axle. The forward end of the frameA is pivotally secured to theforward truck, as wil be hereinafter described. The wheels A' are carrying and driving wheels.

The puller preferably consists of the adapted to run in the soil at each side of the row of beets lifting the beets from the ground. These shovels are carried by the standards B which are secured together by the cross-rods b. The standards B are iv otally connected by the arms or bars B to the axle A and frame A. v

The puller is raised or lowered by means of the le'verIwhich is connected thereto by the chain 71. A catch I" is provided for holding vthe. puller in its elevated position.

Carried by the axle A" and the main frame A is a yoke C having a bearing 0' thereon for the rear end of the shaft E. The shaft E is made up of sections which, are united by a universal joint as a. On the rear section of the shaft E is a gear C" which is arranged to mesh with the gear a which is secured to the axle. The forward section of the shaft E is provided with a suitable bearing D" which is carried by the yoke D [depending from the. frame A. The bearing D is vertically adjustable in this yoke to permit an up and down movementof the forward end of the shaft.

Carried by'the adjustable portion of the shaft E is a casting or'bracket F having a vertical opening therethrou h to recelve; the standard G of the shoe Rollers f,-arranged in pairs above and below the shaft E, are provided for reducing the friction on the standard. The upper end of the standard G is also guided by the rollers 01 which are carried by an arm D projectin rear- I The standard G is provided with a longi-,

tudinal slot G through which the shaft E pression spring 9, one end of which is arranged to bear against thebracket F, and the other against a suitable lug on the standard. To counterbalance in a large measure 1 the Weight of the shoe and standard, I progreat freedom of vide a spring 9, one end of which is connected to the standard and the other to the frame F. These two springs coact and cause the shoe G to move quite freely.

- On the shaft E are radial arms E having knives E thereon. These knives project forwardly from the arms and are arranged to pass under the shoe G as the shaft is revolved, striking the beet while the same is in engagement therewith.

To insure the steady movement of the shaft and to counteract the shock occasioned by the knife strikin into a beet, I provide the shaft with the fialance wheel H. The adjustable section of the shaft is carried by the sprlng J, one end of which is connected to a suitable collar j on the shaft, and the other to a rod J whlch is arranged through the bracket K mounted on a cross-piece K of the frame. The rod J is threaded and is provided with a hand nut J by means of which the tension on the spring J may be regulated.

To prevent the shaft being thrown upward, and also to hold it steadily in position, a spring e is arranged to act a ainst the spring J, the spring J being of suficient tension to hold the shaft normally in its,

lower position. The spring a is arranged upon the rod e, the lower end of which is lvotally connected to the collar 6 on the orward end of the shaft E, the upper end of which is arranged through a bracket ac on the main frame.

The main frame A is connected to the forward truck L by means of an eye N which engages the hook L on the truck. This aflords a pivotal connection, allowing movement, and also enables disconnecting ,of the parts for the purpose of storage, etc.

It is a well-known fact that the amount of the beet top removed depends largely upon the size of the beet and the amount thereof projecting above the surface of the ground. The amount of the top removed,

ping and pu ling mechanism is,

of adjusting the stop pin on in the holes- Z in the shoe standard. \Vhen it is desired to remove a lar er amount of the beet tops the in is placed in the lower holes, thereby hol ing the shoe farther from the knives E.

It is found in practice, where the beets of uneven sizeoccur in succession in a row, that the shoe G rises a considerable distance before acting upon the shaft to raise it and thereby elevate the knives, so that approximately the proper portions of the large and small beets are removed. The shoe G also yields sufficiently to allow the knife to pass readily through the beet, thereby avoiding the danger of bruising or breaking the beet, as would likely occur if the shoe G were fixed relatively to the knives. The yielding of the shoe also allows the same to pass upon the beets without any danger of bruising or breaking them.

In the event of the shoe meeting an obstacle of sufficient size, as in passing over a very large beet, the same lifts the shaft E upwardly, thereby lifting the knives. The springs J and e hold the shaft so that but little power is required to raise it, and at the same time the counter-acting springs hold the same steadily so that it does not vibrate up and down to an objectionable extent.

While I preferably provide my improved beet harvesting machine with a puller of the form shown and described, I am aware that other constructions of pullers might be used; or the topping portion of the harvester might be used independently of the pullin device. My combined tophowever, very desirable, as the machine can be successfully managed by a single operator, and the powerfrequired for operation is such that one team can easily handle the same.

I have illustrated'and described my improved harvestingmachine in detail in the form preferred by me on account of its structural simplicity and convenience and durability in use; I am, however, aware that it is capable of considerable variation in structural details without departing from my invention.

While I have described the same as a beet harvestin machine, for which purpose it is mainly esigned, it is evident that it is adapted for use in harvesting other roots of like nature.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a root harvesting machine, the combination of a shaft made up of sections connected by a universal joint; a fixed bearing for one of the said shaftsections and an adjustable bearing for the other; a lifting spring connected to the adjustable portion earave of said shaft; a spring for holding said shaft normally in its lower position, acting against said lifting spring; a shoe; a standard therefor having a longitudinal slot therein through which said shaft is arranged; a guide bracket for said standard carried by said shaft; and radial arms on said shaft having forwardly projecting knives thereon adapted to pass under said shoe as the shaft is revolved, for the purpose specified.

2. In a root harvesting machine, the combination of a shaft made up of sections connected by a universal joint; a fixed bearing for one of the said shaft sections and an adjustable bearing for the other; a shoe a standard therefor having a longitudinal slot therein through which said shaft is arranged; a guide bracket for said standard carried by said shaft; a lifting spring connected to said guide bracket and shoe standard; a spring arranged to hold said shoe normally in its lower position, acting against said lifting spring; and radial arms on said shaft, having forwardly projecting knives thereon adapted to pass under said shoe as the shaft is revolved, for the purpose specified.

3. In a root harvesting machine, the combination of a shaft made up of sections connectcd by a universal joint; a fixed bearing for one of the said shaft sections and an adjustable bearing for the other; a shoe; a standard therefor having a longitudinal slot therein through which said shaft is arranged; a guide bracket for said standard carried by said shaft; and radial arms on said shaft having forwardly projecting knives thereon adapted to pass under said shoe as the shaft is revolved, for the purpose specified.

4; In a root harvesting machine, the combination of a yieldingly-supported shaft; a lifting spring connected to said shaft;-'a spring for holding said shaft normally in its lower position, acting against said liftmg spring; a shoe; a support in which said shoe is yieldingly supported, carried by said shaft; and knives carried by said shaft adapted to pass under said shoe as the shaft is revolved, for the purpose specified.

5. In a root harvesting machine, the combination of a yieldingly-supported shaft; a shoe; a support in which said shoe is yieldingly suppported, carried by said shaft; a lifting spring for said shoe; a spring arranged to hold said shoe normally in its lower position, acting against said lifting spring; and knives carried by said shaft adapted to pass under said shoe as the shaft is revolved, for the purpose specified.

6. In a root harvesting machine, the combination of a shaft; a shoe yieldingly supported relative to said shaft; an'adjustable stop limiting the downward movement of said shoe; and a knife carried bysaid shaft, adapted to pass under said shoe as the shaft is revolved, for the purpose specified.

7 In a root harvesting machine, the combination of a shaft; a shoe yieldingly supported relative to said shaft; and a knife carried bysaid shaft, adapted to pass under said shoe as the shaft is revolved, for the purpose specified.

8. The combination with the main frame, of an axle; a carrying and driving wheel; a gear on said axle; a shaft made up of sections connected by a universal joint;-a fixed bearing for the rear section of said shaft; a gear on the rear section'of said shaft, ar-

ranged to mesh with the gearon the said axle; a vertically adjustable bearing for the forward section of said shaft; a shoe yieldingly supported relative to said shaft; and a knife carried by said shaft adapted to pass under said shoe as the shaft is revolved.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal. in the presence of two witnesses.

, JAMES A. KING.

Witnesses E. O. LINSEY, A. BANKER. 

